Romney: Deep South is an 'away game'

3/8/12 4:36 PM EST

Mitt Romney, speaking to a radio station in Alabama, framed the upcoming contests there and in Mississippi as an "away game" for his campaign:

As Mitt Romney headed to the Deep South to campaign on Thursday, after Super Tuesday losses in Georgia and Tennessee, he said that the region is "a bit of an away game" for him, but refused to concede it entirely.

Speaking to radio station WAPI in Birmingham, Ala., where Romney has an event on Friday, he said he was expecting some support in the state, possibly even a majority of its 50 delegates. Alabama and Mississippi hold primaries on Tuesday.

"I'm confident we're going to get some delegates. That, of course, is what this is all about -- getting the delegates necessary to become the nominee. But getting the majority of the delegates, that would be icing on the cake," Romney said.

Alex wrote this morning that the Romney campaign is working hard to break the string of poor showings he's had in Southern states so far this year. This framing Romney offers for the Deep South primaries -- that he's a candidate playing on someone else's turf -- shows that the campaign is working to lower expectations there.